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| Ashley Bryan | |
Children's book illustrator Ashley Bryan will be the honoree for this year's Silent Art Auction during BookExpo in New York City. according to the American Booksellers Association's ABC Children's Group and the Children's Book Council.
In a joint statement, ABA senior program director Joy Dallanegra-Sanger and Shaina Birkhead, programming & strategic partnerships director of CBC and Every Child a Reader, said: "Now more than ever, events supporting free speech, great art, and children's literacy are vital. We are thrilled that Ashley Bryan will be this year's honoree!"
"It is a true honor to be chosen by ABC and CBC for this recognition," Bryan said. "The work they do, in so many ways, with the charities and programs that they support, that ultimately bring books to children, is wonderful. I'm glad to do what I can to help."
The Children's & Teen Choice Book Awards ceremony, co-hosted by Selina Aiko and Sean Qualls, will precede the auction. The joint awards and auction program takes place May 30 at from 5:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Javits South Concourse. The Silent Art Auction will benefit the American Booksellers for Free Expression and Every Child a Reader. CBC has sent out a request for artwork donations industry-wide. Susannah Richards, professor and children's literature advocate, will organize the undertaking. Full details are available here.
Bryan was recently named a Newbery Honoree for his picture book, Freedom Over Me. He has also received the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award; the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award; and is a Coretta Scott King Award winner, among his many honors. His books include Sail Away; Beautiful Blackbird; Beat the Story-Drum, Pum Pum; Let It Shine; Ashley Bryan's Book of Puppets; and What a Wonderful World